Nala won't say she's in love with Simba
by Alama
Summary: The betrothal revealed, a certain Pride Land lioness cub begins to see the Pride Land Prince in a new way, not that she'll admit it.


_**Nala won't say she's in love with Simba**_

_What happens when I've been listening to "I won't say I'm in love" from _Hercules _and there's a blank word document in front of me? This random little one-shot happens._

_Keep in mind in this short they are only cubs __ Set after the 'Elephant Graveyard' scene Kula and Chumvi are determined to find out what's going on between Nala and the Pride Land Prince._

_**~you keep on denying who you are and how you're feeling, baby we're not buying hon' we saw you hit the ceiling. Face it like a grown up, when ya' gonna own up that you got, got, got it bad. ~**_

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Darkness descended over the Pride Lands and the stars started to dot the night sky, the full moon glistened in the distance illuminating the stone platform of Pride Rock. Crickets lightly chirped and the sleeping forms of the native inhabitants added serenity to the air. Ungulates and carnivores alike slept soundly under the night sky. Inside the kopje a light lioness cub, wrapped securely in the forearms of her mother, eyes shut dreaming the whimsical dreams of one so young. Fantasies and fairy-tales dancing around in her head she's completely oblivious to the endangerment of the outside world. A smile crept across her muzzle and an innocent and peaceful visage captured her face.

Lightly padding through the stone cave, navigating her way through the sleeping lioness' forms, and carefully managing her way out of her own mother's paws, a darker lioness cub crept her way over to the sleeping cub. Yanking lightly on the tail of another cub on her journey, the third cub blearily opened his amber eyes with a scowl. Motioning her head in the light colored cub's direction the dark lioness convinced the third to follow.

Carefully circumnavigating around the cavern the two cubs stood quietly in front of the sleeping cub. Looking at one another for guidance the two gave each other a solemn nod before reaching down a simultaneously inching the cub from her mother's hold. While one cub grasped the sleeping lioness's tail the other worked her way out of her pawed clutch.

Success, the dark and the amber eyed cubs freed the cub from the elder lioness's hold. Their next move required precise planning and difficult maneuvering. Each cub taking hold of her tail once again, they drug the sleeping cub out from the inside of Pride Rock and rested her sleeping form on the peaked platform. Moonlight shone like a spotlight on the three cubs. The amber eyed cubs' coloring now better revealed. His rusty pelt and amber eyes radiated in the light, a small tuff of hair on the crown of his head blew in the breeze. The lighter of the two cubs narrowed her matching crimson colored gaze on her sleeping friend. A smile spread across her muzzle.

Their next move required clear-cut preparation and composure. One wrong move meant that their whole plan was in vain. Both cubs took in a shaky breathe. Three…two…one…

"NALA!"

"Ah! What's going on?"

Her hunter green eyes shot open and she found herself _outside_ instead of wrapped up in the warm embrace of her mom. Two pairs of crimson colored eyes stared back at her with a bright smile on their faces, bouncing up and down on their paws. Kula, the dark colored cub, and Chumvi, the rusty coated male cub with the head tuff, stared at Nala with enthusiasm in their eyes.

Fighting back the urge to growl and pin them both to the ground the weary eyed cub looked back at her friends and glared at them with a grimace of annoyance. Narrowing her emerald eyes the lioness carefully rose to her colorless paws. Parting her ebony lips she shone her teeth in her companions' direction. A clear indicator she was not appealed by being drug outside in the middle of the night by any circumstances. Inching closer to her friends the cub snarled:

"Kula, Chumvi, why am I out on the ledge and not _inside ASLEEP?!"_

Both cubs shared a concerning glance at one another. Two sets of flailing paws pointing at the other, claiming the idea on either or, as long as they kept themselves out of trouble. Kula's paws pointed and Chumvi, while Chumvi's own paws blamed Kula for the incident. A chorus of 'she/he did it! Me? You drug her out here! No way, you did!' rang simultaneously from them both.

"ENOUGH!" Roaring as loud as she possibly could without waking the lionesses while still managing to subdue her quarreling friends Nala eyed her friends with a calm, yet firm demeanor. "I don't care _who_ did it, I just want to know _why_ I'm out here!"

Kula and Chumvi exchanged another weary glance. Quirking her brow the lioness cub tried her best to convince the male to step forward to no avail. The rusty coated male shook his head, ruffling his head tuff, and keeping his paws firmly on the ground. Sticking out her tongue Kula swatted Chumvi with her tail as she stepped forward. Flashing Nala a toothy smile she commented "What happened between you and Simba today?"

"You guys already know about what happened at the graveyard."

"Not the _graveyard_" stepping forward the male cub met his friend's eyes "you and _Simba._ Banana-beak was mumbling something about you two being 'befuddled' or 'be-throne' or something along those lines. Care to explain what that means?" Chumvi stood before Nala with his eyes locked on hers, his brow arched and his head tilted slightly to the side, "hmm?"

"Oh…that…it's…he said 'betrothed.'"

"Meaning?" both cubs inquired.

"Betrothed, intended, affianced, meaning that one day Simba and I are going to be…" _married. _Nala left the word hanging in the open air. She narrowed her eyes and lowered her gaze to her paws nervously shuffling to the loose pebbles around. Self-consciously wrapping her tail around her tan frame, she bit back a growl. Her mouth quivered, the corners of her lips making a slow downturn. She could feel her heart start to accelerate and she began to feel unpleasantly warm despite the cool night breeze.

"You're going to be what? Come on tell us!" Kula pressed forward, her voice urgent, needy, and totally impatient. She pounced up and down on the balls of her heels, rocking back and forth, casually swishing her tail from side to side in an attempt to hide her impatience. "Please, please, please?"

"Come on Nala, tell us. I _dare _you."

Whipping her head around Nala blatantly stared back into the amber eyes of her male friend, they sparkled with a mischievous air, and both brows arched high. His visage sported a wicked grin, brightly flashing his teeth at the lioness cub. An indomitable force to be reckoned with: Chumvi's dares, and as a lioness to always rise to a difficult occasion, Nala glared at her comrade. Her brows knitted together and she growled lightly at Chumvi's smug aura. Satisfied at her response the rusty colored cub laughed as he closed his eyes.

Emanating an indecipherable array of words the light lioness cub turned her head into the nook of her shoulder. Her green eyes glowing in the moonlight she turned her nose back toward the duo and kept her voice strictly in a monotone assert.

"Betrothed, we're betrothed, meaning that one day Simba and I will be married."

"You're going to marry Simba? _Prince_ Simba? You realize that that would make you _Princess_ Nala, right? Nala you could be a Princess! If you and Simba get married that would make you the eventual _Queen of the Pride Lands!_ Wow!" Kula exclaimed with her bright crimson colored eyes shining. She was more excited about the affair than Nala herself.

"No not 'wow'! I…don't wanna marry Simba! He's my _friend_ it'd be too weird! Way too weird!" Scowling at her over-enthusiastic companion, Nala barred her teeth, but then, smiled. Her eyes softened and she inexplicably let out an audible sigh.

Tapping his sister's shoulder lightly with his paw Chumvi motioned his head in the swooning lioness's direction. Her eyes were glossed over and her gaze had seemed to have drifted back to inside the cave, though every dark it was not totally unsighted. The light from the moon and stars lighted the cavern slightly, aiding in just enough light to see the sleeping forms of the lions, lionesses, and other cubs inside. The light colored lioness's eyes now fixated on a sleeping golden cub. Sprawled out on his back, draped over his father's own backside, was Simba. His eyes closed tight and a light smile on his face. The cub's watched as Nala sighed and lovingly gazed her eyes on his sleeping frame watching the corners of her mouth turn up ever-so-slowly.

Chumvi and Kula once again shared a nod and a knowing smirk. Circling their way around Nala, Kula on the left and Chumvi was on the right. Lifting her paw and waving it in front of Nala's love stricken gaze, Kula got no response. She called her name, pulled her tail, and even attempted blocking her view, nothing. Rolling her eyes she motioned for Chumvi to try and break her from trance. Padding forward lightly, the rusty coated male then stood firmly beside the beige lioness cub. Bracing himself, lowering his body to the stone platform, he waited for just the right moment to…

"Rah!"

_SMACK!_

"What the- what are you _doing?_"

Easily knocking her distracted form off balance the young male soon had the lioness pinned under his paws, keeping her a firm press down on her shoulder blades. Her eyes went from deadlocked on the Pride Land Prince to shutting rather tightly as her back made impact with the cold, hard stone. She snarled into the open air and attempted to shake her body free from the force that held her down. Chumvi's hold was not malleable and now his approach to keeping Nala's focus was anything but amiable. Nala opened her eyes to find Chumvi's crimson stare bearing into hers, his brows knitted together but there was a smirk on his face.

He couldn't help but laugh "You don't like him, huh? Then what was _that?"_

"_Nothing…_now let me up!" Nala thrashed her head around and managed to free a single paw, using it to gently swipe at Chumvi's side, knocking him off balance she raised back to her paws.

"Come on Nala that was _something." _ Aiding her brother from his fallen position on his side Kula flashed a quick smile to the beige lioness.

"No…it was _not! _ I do _not_ like Simba!" Barring her teeth once more Nala kept a firm demeanor as she confirmed her previous indecision.

"Uh-huh…_sure _you don't…so that little swooning and sighing session over there meant absolutely nothing, are we right?" Chumvi sat back on his haunches and tilted his head inquiring the young lioness.

Turning her back on the sibling duo Nala swished her tail in agitation, she bit back a growl and seethed "Yes, absolutely _nothing_." Chumvi growled and Kula sighed. She lowered herself to the ground and wrapped her tail around her body resting her head on her paws.

"Nala, just admit it, we see the way you look at him, and that swooning and sighing just confirmed it. You _like, _maybe even _love_, Simba. It's no wonder you're betrothed, you two were made for each other. You're best-friends, and my mother has always tells me 'there's no better feeling than being mates with your best-friend.' Say it Nala!" Kula tried to reason with her, she nudged her lightly in the shoulder with her nose before lightly smiling.

The accused cub just shook her head. "Not a chance Kula, I won't say I'm in love."

Circling around to meet Nala's gaze Kula sat before her paws, shaking her head. "Deny it all you want, we're not buying it," Chumvi agreed shaking his head "you're in love Nala!"

"That sounds so cliché, I'm not in love!" Nala continued to growl. Rising from her position from in front of her friends she padded back over to the den entrance. Her face once again turned in Simba's direction, a smile crept back to her face without notice.

"Check that grin, you're in love!"

Whipping around to face her companions Nala closed her eyes and flashed the pad of her paw in Kula's muzzle, "You're way off base, I won't say it!" Facing the den entrance for the final time Nala began to stride back inside the den headed back to her sleeping place nestled between her mother's paws. Kula and Chumvi tailed her. "Get off my case! I won't say it!"

"It's O.K, you're in love!" Both siblings whispered as they walked by the cub that had made it back to her mother's paws slipping back in unnoticed. Rolling her eyes one final time at the duo that was swiftly tip-toeing around the other lionesses and cubs to get back to their own mother, Nala stuck out her tongue. Crossing her paws she rested her head against them and started to close her eyes, but not before stealing another quick glance over at the sleeping Prince.

Simba's eyes were closed, his mouth was slightly agape and he was lightly snoring. The young golden male had since crawled down from his place of the King's back and was now cuddled up in the Queen's paws. Nala smiled.

"At least out loud, I won't say I'm in love." She whispered before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

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** I think Chumvi and Kula make exceptional muses, don't you? LOL**

**I hope you all enjoyed it! :) Please review!**


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